Affordable places to live for a boring hermit? (Boston, Springfield: rent, condos)

[BoringHermit]

I currently rent in Salem, MA and am beginning to explore home ownership. Unfortunately for me, despite Salem being often recommended as an affordable area to live, the homes I'm seeing listed are out of my budget.

My Preferences:
- Hoping not to spend more than 450k, below 400k would be perfect.

- As a single person, I don't need a lot of space and would actually prefer a smaller house. I'm not really fond of HOAs when it comes to condos, but if someone has a recommendation for a specific condo HOA, I'm open to hearing about it.

- I commute to Boston 1 day/week & work remote otherwise. I can work flex hours, so on commuting days, I usually leave at 9:30 AM or 10:00 AM to avoid traffic, which has worked pretty decently for me. I don't think I can live as far away as Western MA towns like Springfield, but I'm willing to stretch the commuting distance if it finds me a more affordable place.

- I'm a boring hermit. I only need a steady Internet connection & a grocery store nearby. Schools, neighborhood activities, nightlife, etc. are not important. I'm hoping my lower requirements makes it easier for me to find an affordable place.

- Safety, however, is very important to me as a single woman. I've visited a friend in Chelsea and would not like to repeat that experience lol.

Cities I'm Considering:
- Weymouth: The main negatives I hear about this place is the school system, which isn't relevant to me. Otherwise, the city seems quite nice? It doesn't seem to get mentioned much.

- Lowell: I do hear that there's crime, but I also see posts that say its reputation is overblown and there are nice neighborhoods within the city. Thoughts? How is it relative to Salem? Because I'm hearing similar complaints about crime in Salem too but honestly Salem seems perfectly safe to me.

- Methuen: Again, mixed reviews on the safety of this city. And the latest reports of police corruption doesn't sit too well with me. But the city also has positive comments about how safe it feels. So I'd love to hear more experiences from people here.

- Lynn: The city of sin. I drive past the city often enough that it doesn't seem that bad, but I have never spent actual time in it, so maybe it's a lot worse than I'm aware? Is it similar or worse than Lowell?

If anyone has other suggestions, I'd love to hear it.

Thank you for your time!

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by BoringHermit

- Lowell: I do hear that there's crime, but I also see posts that say its reputation is overblown and there are nice neighborhoods within the city. Thoughts? How is it relative to Salem? Because I'm hearing similar complaints about crime in Salem too but honestly Salem seems perfectly safe to me.

This guy has an interesting take on Lowell.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4X6i_hvuig

[SkyLark2019]

Rural Maine.

If you can handle working from home or working in the fishing industry, houses are affordable in Maine. (Source- a co-worker has family there.)

Of course being able to handle winter well is a pre-requisite to being there.

The author Steven King has written many books featuring Maine as a backdrop, as he is from there. Of course his stories tend to be macabre but in terms of the info you seek, some is featured in his work.

Be warned, medical services can be scarce in rural areas. IOW be prepared to tough out a lot of ailments you might normally go to the local Urgent Care to treat.

[msRB311]

If you are ok with Weymouth id recommend Abington, rockland and Holbrook also. I believe they are cheaper than Weymouth but in that same area.

[simplexsimon]

How much space do you want? Condos generally are much more economical the smaller the space is. You could probably do much better than $400k.

[OutdoorLover]

It sounds like you won't mind small town life - I'd check out Merrimac, MA... Stratham, NH and Newfields, NH - these are boring small towns, but pleasant enough, and certainly close enough for a once weekly commute to Boston on I-95. Housing is reasonably priced there, by the greater Boston area standards.

The main site for CityData has crime rate info on most Mass cities and towns - I'd start there for assessing security, as at least it's objective data.

[msRB311]

He did mention he goes in to the office once a week so not sure he'd be into Maine and NH

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by simplexsimon

How much space do you want? Condos generally are much more economical the smaller the space is. You could probably do much better than $400k.

That's true - there are a good many houses in Newburyport that are a 2-unit condo association, and you definitely save versus a standalone house. It's all going to depend on how well you can get on with your close neighbors. I live in such a place now, and have lived in another in Newburyport previously. I am pretty easy going myself and fortunately haven't had any nightmare close neighbors, so, while I'd still prefer a standalone house, it's worked out okay for me.

[yesmaybe]

Lowell or maybe Nashua is your best bet I think. If you lose your job or they force you back into the office more than once a week... you'd still have access to the 128 job market. Not great access but you could conceivably do it.

Could just take the Commuter Rail.

[Boston_Burbs]

I would check around the ends of the commuter rail. Those will have the cheapest housing due to distance but you won't have to drive in.

Leominster is one you might consider. Its kind of the hub of convenience for the area (stores, shopping, etc.) but is safe and somewhat affordable. Schools are not great so you won't be paying for that prestige.

Also look at Haverhill, Billericca, Whitman, Hanson, Halifax, Bridgewater, and Middleboro.